Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Afghanistan: Development Aid

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how much UK overseas aid they provided to Afghanistan in (1) 2017, (2) 2018, (3) 2019, (4) 2020, and (5) 2021.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has provided the following amounts of overseas aid to Afghanistan over 2017 to 2021:2017 £235 million2018 £249 million2019 £290 million2020 £226 million2021 £150 millionThe 2017-2020 figure represent the total UK bilateral Overseas Development Assistance across Government reported in Statistics on International Development (SID). The SIDS data for 2021 is provisional and does not include detail by country, the 2021 figure noted represents only the FCDO's spend for 2021.

Afghanistan: Ethnic Groups

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to the reportby the Hazara Inquiry The Situation of the Hazaras in Afghanistan, published on 3 September.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Hazara Inquiry The Situation of the Hazara in Afghanistan, published on 3 September, which found that this religious and ethnic minority are at serious risk of genocide at the hands of both the Taliban and the Islamic State–Khorasan Province.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe conclusion of the report by the Hazara Inquiry The Situation of the Hazara in Afghanistan,published on 3 September, that under the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the Genocide Convention) and customary international law, it is the responsibility of all signatory states to protect the Hazara and prevent a possible genocide; and what steps they are taking to comply with these duties.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are carefully reviewing the findings of the Hazara Inquiry. We fully recognize that Hazaras have long faced attacks and discrimination from the Taliban, Daesh Khorasan Province and other groups. We regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans and to protect the Hazara community from terrorist attacks.We are working closely with international partners, including through multilateral fora, to ensure there are credible monitoring mechanisms in place and to hold those responsible for human rights abuses to account. In March 2022, we worked through the UN Security Council to strengthen human rights monitoring in the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan mandate (UNAMA). We also supported a UN Human Rights Council resolution that led to the appointment of Richard Bennett as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan on 1 April 2022. I met the Special Rapporteur on 9 August ahead of his report to the Human Rights Council on 12 September. We will continue to regularly engage with Hazara representatives, who provide vital insight into and advise on the situation in Afghanistan.

Xinjiang: Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings in the United Nations report OHCHRAssessment of human rights concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China, published on 31 August; and what discussions they intend to have with the government of China in response.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights provides new evidence of the extent of China's efforts to silence and repress Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. It includes a broad range of evidence, including first-hand accounts from victims.The UK has already led international efforts to pressure China to change its behaviour. We have imposed sanctions, led joint statements at the UN, taken action to tackle forced labour in supply chains, funded research to expose China's actions, and consistently raised China's human rights violations at the highest levels in Beijing.We have raised the report's findings with the Chinese Embassy in London as well as senior officials in Beijing. We are now considering appropriate next steps with our international partners.

Xinjiang: Ethnic Groups

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports ofcrimes being committed against (1) Uyghurs, (2) Kazakhs, and (3) other Turkish Muslim minorities, in Xinjiang in China; and what discussions they have had with international partners about taking steps to investigate, and if necessary prosecute, any such crimes.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights provides new evidence of the extent of China's efforts to silence and repress Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. It includes a broad range of evidence, including first-hand accounts from victims. The UK has already led international efforts to pressure China to change its behaviour. We have imposed sanctions, led joint statements at the UN, taken action to tackle forced labour in supply chains, funded research to expose China's actions, and consistently raised China's human rights violations at the highest levels in Beijing. Given the seriousness of the report's findings, we are now supporting formal action at the current Human Rights Council (HRC) that will request a Council Debate on the situation in Xinjiang. If successful, this would be the first time we have succeeded in putting China on the Council's agenda. We have also raised the report's findings with the Chinese Embassy in London as well as senior officials in Beijing.

Department of Health and Social Care

Carers: Migrant Workers

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make it easier to employ personal carers from abroad.

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: In February 2022, the Government amended immigration rules which allows domiciliary and care home workers to be recruited from overseas. Under current visa rules, overseas recruits are required to work for a registered sponsor. The sponsorship system ensures employers fulfil specific duties to confirm those who apply for permission to enter or stay in the United Kingdom to work are eligible and will comply with the conditions of their visa. Businesses are able to comply with these duties and demonstrate a verifiable track record of operating lawfully in the UK in a way private individuals and households cannot, both within the immigration system and the employer regulatory regime.This ensures the integrity of the immigration system and provides important welfare safeguards for workers who migrate to the UK and individuals requiring care. There are no current plans to change this approach.